Moments ago at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California, Riverside?s Josesito Lopez scored a dramatic upset in stopping former welterweight champion Victor Ortiz after nine rounds.
The fight was fought at a brisk pace from the opening rounds as Lopez, the proverbial underdog heading into the contest, fought with a reckless abandon and seized nearly every opportunity that was given to him. Ortiz gave as good as he got but he was drawn into firefight that he may not have been expecting.
After the ninth round, Ortiz, complaining of a broken jaw, advised referee Jack Reiss that he was in no shape to continue and the fight was stopped. And just like that, Lopez was given the greatest victory of his career.
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Bonus Slideshows of Victor Ortiz: A different kind of spotlight for Victor Oritz / Behind the scenes at the Mayweather-Oritz ‘Star Power’ event / Victor Ortiz’s media day in Ventura as Mayweather loomed Advertisement
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Ortiz was supposed to have been fighting Andre Berto on this date in an anticipated rematch but the Haitian-American failed a pre-fight drug test in May and Lopez was brought in as a replacement. Ortiz was eyeing a September 15th pay-per-view attraction with WBC junior middleweight champion Saul Alvarez but that fight is now surely by the wayside.
At the time of the stoppage, Ortiz was ahead on all cards by scores of 88-83, 87-84, and 86-85. Lopez, who was moving up in weight for the fight, told Showtime announcer Jim Grey after the bout that he is willing to fight anybody and he will surely be in line for some big opportunities in the near future.
Ortiz sees his record fall to 29-4-2 with 22 knockouts and his rollercoaster ride in the sport has taken another turn. Still, at just 25 years of age, Ortiz has time to bounce back.
More on this in the coming hours.
